There must truly be miracles. Sometime between noon Sunday and 1pm Monday 90% of the potholes on Leland Ave were cold patched. I hope that they survive this weeks expected weather. If not perhaps repairs will be made. I can not comprehend why a crew repairing potholes would ignore many that are in some cases adjacent to the filled ones. True some are small, but I believe that there is an old saying; "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" .

The other miracle is that I have finally digitalized about 550 slides about France. The bad ones will be culled, and I plan to post at various times some that may have universal appeal.

To prove that there are other note worthy Basilicas besides Notre Damn in Paris here are two views each of Madeline one from the Concord, and Sacre de Coeur in Monemart. The latter is on the highest point in Paris. Each has stories of their own.

MUSING Jan 5,2009

It seems that for reasons that could not be controlled, we are already starting the one agenda session, one open meeting per month Council schedule. MLK day and Inaugural Day wipes out the 19th week as the legitimate business meeting time According to the official calender posted on the city site the Business Meeting is set for the 15th, the same time for a Planning Board meeting. As of the 4th ,there were no other meetings posted on the city calender for January.

The time span between the two meetings seems to repeat the dissatisfaction with 2007-8 Monday- Wednesday plan. I hope that this is not a portent of the two meetings a month plan that was proposed by now Council President Burney. The new era he proposes could start better.

The Agenda session will lose its importance as a mirror of the individual Councilperson's thinking if as seems apparent discussions and decisions are reached beforehand via email or texting. The public may too often be faced with an overly expanded Consent Agenda" which includes items of public interest but are cloaked from discussing. There is a fine line between routine business and something that could evoke remarks from Council members or the public.

I applaud the Council's actions on Jan. 1 of refusing to rubber stamp appointments of new members to various boards or commissions. The Council should have adequate time to become knowledgeable about those they are approving. That is part of their fiduciary due diligence. The same concern should be part of the proceedings in approval of reappointments. All Commissions and Boards must have a full complement of members and their minutes forwarded to the Council.

It would be nice to know as we dodge pot holes to learn where we are on the 5 year road resurfacing plan . This plan was adopted in the last years of the McWilliams mayoralty. To the best of my knowledge in late summer the 2nd phase (the renamed 2nd year) was to be started. How much of that has been completed? What alterations have been made so far in the projected plan for years 1 ands 2? How much funding was received from state or federal sources and how was it spent? Why was no one trained (?) to use the "hot patch" equipment the city owned available until late this year? How are road repairs accounted for in the budget if they are dependent on outside funding?

Council members have called for more transparency in government , in both the administrative as well as the legislative sector. We all hope that t hey stick to their guns.

SIX IMPRESSION OF THE SEINE

I am often amazed and certainly pleased with what can be done with the limited editing materials in the popular non professional photo processing programs.
The change in the color deteriorated 30 year old slide of the Seine River in Paris with a purple hue (a) into a more aesthetic almost natural picture (b) is worth the effort.

(a)

(b)

That was an improvement, but then suppose I tried to fake (b) as an oil painting. So I tried two other programs with the following results.

(c)

(d)

Perhaps, however, this scene would look better as a watercolor. The same two programs could imitate such a painting.

(e)

(f)

Although none of the six are a true reproduction of the actual scene the played with versions do make acceptable pictures. If I had need for an 8x10 or slightly larger wall picture I might chose the last one (f). Would you find any one (b:f) interesting?

January 5, the new year really begins, and it may be time for serious stuff.

RANDOM THOUGHTS JAN 4,2009

Some interesting points apparently have been raised in the aftermath of the Plainfield Council's organizational meeting.

Have Council members reported their health insurance as income? How have they handled a cash payment in lieu? How was the cash alternate figure complied?

When does a Councilor become "vested"? Will the Council try to breach union contracts and put a hold on raises? Are non union employees going to get raises or will the Council adjust their budgetary line to reflect COLA.

While it is only another drop in the bucket, what about the catered meals the Council enjoys before their executive session and the public agenda session?Anyone who has had a leaky faucet knows what that few drops can do to their bill. Do the Council members report this meals as part of their compensation?

The assignment of city vehicles needs clarification. No city owned should be used for non city business. That includes travel to and from home to the office.Those who should have available cars 24/7 are few and they should be designated by Council Resolution. There should be maintained a pool so that needed cars can be allocated.

If the published and verbal reports of that meeting are an indication, 2009 is going to be a most interesting political year in Plainfield. Let us hope that personalities do not obstruct progressive government.

The argument that obscene compensation and bonuses are needed to keep "good" individuals is fallacious. It has been self serving. Those same "good management people were responsible for the Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual, Freddie Mac , Fannie Mae, AIG disasters. Some even collected bonuses for leading their company into oblivion at the expense of their stockholders.





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Like many on the Internet we are automatic recipients of mass mailed "jokes" from well meaning people. I have time to read many of them and occasionally I find one that is of general interest.

Since I have not have any momentous words of wisdom to transcribe, and since I am only 1/3rd of the way through France (slides that is) I felt that all might enjoy this tidbit:



53 YEARS AGO
Those of you of a "certain age" will remember most of this. You younger folks probably won't believe all of it, but it's true!

Comments made in the year 1955!
That's only 53 years ago!
'I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20.00.

'Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2, 000.00 will only buy a used one.

'If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous.

'Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter

'If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store.

'When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon. Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage.

'I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying DAMN in GONE WITH THE WIND, it seems every new movie has either HELL or DAMN in it.

'I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas .

'Did you see where some baseball pl ayer j ust signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President.

'I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now.

'It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having t o work to make ends meet.

'It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work.

'I'm afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business.

'Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress.

'The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on.

'There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a weekend, it costs nearly $15.00 a night to stay in a hotel.

'No one can afford to be sick anymore, at $35.00 a day in the hospital it's too rich for my blood.'

'If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it.
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For anyone who read all of the above, Here are two recently transcribed pictures from the French Pyrenees. Too bad here is a degree of fading but this were taken from the narrow gague electric train that ran along the mountain. In the top one you can see the tracks in the distance (right) the other show part of the highway.

RANDOM TRIVIA THOUGHTS 2 CATS

Jan. 2, 2009 before listening to or reading any news media may be a day without a serious column. Certainly the first was quiet and cold. The spring on our garage door opener broke late on the 31st, thus if I had to take my car out I would have had to manually lift the door and close it. Too much trouble on a day that started out with a wind chill factor hovering around 0!.

I can use this interlude to tell everyone about our two cats. After 60 years of dogs, birds, and concurrent cats we decided 11 years ago to settle on only low maintenance pets, ones that did not have to be walked, or need a clean cage.

Mack and Mick my two identical litter brothers "Abbys" can finally relax. "Shootshe" my daughter's playful Australian shepherd and our great grandchildren have gone home and will not be back for at least another 5 months.

Mick and Mack, now 11 years old were named after a defunct grocery chain that existed in the Virginias and Carolinas post WW II. Since as kittens we could not distinguish one from the other until their different personalities emerged we decided that the names suggested that one was Irish and the other Scotch, thus one was given a green collar and the other a red one. Today they look like this, however the flash wiped out Mack's color. They still are identical.When we took them home from their mother the two kittens ran and hid behind the buffet and would not come out. I sat in a chair across the room but where the kittens could see me from their safe place. It took less than 30 minutes of dangling a string to entice Mack to come out to play. He allowed himself to be picked up and to this day he has owned the house. Mack has never met a human being he did not like.

On the other hand we did not see "the Mick" -somehow everyone has adopted the habit of referring to the cats as "THE Mack or Mick", for two days. We knew he came out at night to eat and did use the litter box thank goodness. About the third day he ventured out while we were in the room but retreated rapidly when someone tried to pick him up. Ultimately he became more of a fixture and soon became the one to demand attention to feeding time. He has a few favorite people that he is comfortable with otherwise still does not want to be held.

During the past 11 years my daughter's dog has often accompanied their visits. There have been two dogs, both Australian Shepherds and the nicest animals that I have ever known. I would strongly recommend the breed to any family with young children and a yard big enough for the dog to romp. They are very playful and enjoy the company of other dogs.

When they come the two cats run and and hide but it is THE MICK who comes out first. After a few bluffing hisses he ignores the dog . THE MACK is not as comfortable, but feeding time is feeding time. THE MACK thinks he has to warn the dog off every time, and the dog only wants to play. Since Shootshe has not yet met a cat with claws she thinks the "hiss' is part of a game.

In all the years we have had these two cats there has been no more than 4 0r 5 fights and each has n=been set off by an other cat passing by outside. They eat together out of the same dish at the same time and never has there been any problem. Best of all they do let me sit in their chairs.

Thank You Councilor Burney

In appreciation of Councilman Burney's helpful blog and his pictures of Toscany I present some poorer quality slides that are over 30 years old. Florence is one of the art treasures of the world

The first two are of Florence taken late afternoon during a pit stop on a bus trip from Genoa to Rome. This happened at the end of a cruise when the group was supposed to spend a night in Portofino before traveling to Milan to fly back to the States. A airline strike cause the tour operator to change plans and instead after debarkation we took off for three unplanned days in Rome. The hotel there was on a main drag, Via Venato and near the Spanish Steps.

The bus left us near the Plazza della Signoria and the famous Michelangelo's statue of David. Unfortunately I have not yet found a slide of the copy (the original is in a museum) on the plazza

The best I can do is two photos of the Fountains of Neptune. The first one was taken from a cafe where we had stopped for a drink. The second one is a closeup that I need to do some "tweaking" about the deteriorating color.

The next picture is the Arno River from the Ponte Vecchio. The Arno River line was the site of some of the most severe fighting in Italy after Mt Casino during WWII.




I believe the last one is the Duomo Santa Maria del Fiori. I would appreciate a correct identification.